Primary author publications

We find a strong correlation between the star formation properties of luminous satellites and the star formation properties of their Milky Way-like hosts. Satellites of passive hosts show an elevated probability (~30%) of being quenched, whereas satellites of star forming hosts are indistinguishable from field objects of similar mass.

We find no dependence in the efficiency with which luminous satellites of Milky Way-like hosts are quenched on the stellar mass of the host, nor of the satellites themselves. We do find evidence for a dependence on the halo mass of the host, as demonstrated by elevated quenching efficiency in hosts with two satellites versus one.

We examine the evidence for co-rotating planes of satellite galaxies similar to the one postulated to exist around M31 being common in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. While we do see an excess of co-rotating pairs located on opposite sides of their respective hosts over counter-rotating pairs, comparisons to simple models indicate that the data do not support the ubiquity of such planes. We estimate that at most ~10% of galaxies in our sample host planes analagous to the M31 plane.